Monday, November 26, 2012

Syria: France gives $1.5mn to Syria insurgents

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says the country has allocated 1.2 million euros (1.5 million dollars) in emergency aid to the newly-formed Syrian opposition, known as the National Coalition.

Fabius said in a statement on Monday that France, which is the first European country to recognize the Syrian opposition, wants to help the so-called National Coalition fight against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

France's recent move comes on the eve of a visit to the capital Paris by Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, who has sharply censured France's support of the insurgents in Syria, saying it is "completely unacceptable in international law."

On November 15, the French foreign minister said that the European Union's arms embargo against Syria should be removed so that France can respond to a plea for "specialized weapons" by the leader of Syrian opposition.

The so-called Syrian National Coalition for Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNCROF) was formed on November 11 when the opponents of President Assad agreed to form a broad coalition to overthrow the Syrian president, urging their foreign supporters to provide them with more advanced weaponry.